“Can Improving Public Policy be the Solution for a Better California?”

Free public forum welcomes Mark Baldassare, President and CEO of the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), and moderator, Dave Lesher, PPIC Director of Government Affairs

The Half Moon Bay Brewing Company welcomes the public to participate in a informative discussion on the latest research on California voters’ views on the State’s current economic, social, and financial situation. The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) is the leading nonpartisan research institution focused on California policy, whose goal is to “inform and improve public policy in California through independent, objective, nonpartisan research on major social, economic, and political issues.”

PPIC’s president and CEO, Mark Baldassare, will lead the discussion on where California is headed based on their most recent public policy research and how educating voters can ultimately improve California. Baldassareholds the Arjay and Frances Fearing Miller Chair in Public Policy and directs the PPIC Statewide Survey ― a large-scale public opinion project designed to develop an in-depth profile of the social, economic, and political forces at work in California elections that are shaping the state’s public policies.

When:

Thursday, August 4, 2011

6 to 8 p.m.

Where:

The Half Moon Bay Brewing Company

390 Capistrano Road, Princeton-by-the-Sea, Calif.

Cost:

Admission and snacks are complimentary. Beer, wine, and other beverages will be available for sale at the event. Ten percent of the proceeds from all dinner sales at Half Moon Bay Brewing Company for this event will be donated to the Cabrillo Education Foundation.

For More Information:

Call 650-728-2739 or visit http://www.hmbbrewingco.com.

Speaker Biography:

Prior to president and CEO of the Public Policy Institute of California, Mark Baldassarewas PPIC’s director of research. He is the author of ten books, including The Coming Age of Direct Democracy: California’s Recall and Beyond. Before joining PPIC, he was a professor of urban and regional planning at the University of California, Irvine, where he held the Johnson Chair in Civic Governance and initiated and directed the Orange County Annual Survey. He has conducted surveys for the Los Angeles Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the California Business Roundtable. He holds a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of California, Berkeley.

Moderator Biography:

David Lesher is Director of Government Affairs at PPIC and is based in PPIC’s Sacramento Center. Previously, he directed the New America Foundation’s California Program, which sponsors a wide range of research, writing, and events on issues of critical importance to the future of California. His primary responsibilities at NAF included recruiting and guiding New America’s California fellows, orchestrating high-profile public events throughout the state, and forging strategic partnerships with other California-based policy organizations. Prior to that, he covered politics and government for fifteen years at the Los Angeles Times, where his roles ranged from lead reporter in the Sacramento bureau to assistant national editor on the paper’s presidential campaign desk.

ABOUT BREWS & VIEWS

Brews and Views is the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company’s regular speakers series that tackles public issues that affect us all, from the Coastside of California to Washington, DC. Started by Lenny Mendonca, the founder of the Brewing Company and director at McKinsey & Company, Brews and Views serves as both a free public forum and fundraiser for Coastside nonprofit organizations (ten percent of all dinner proceeds are donated to a local nonprofit after each event). Previous notable guests include renowned forecaster Paul Saffo, managing director of foresight at Discern Analytics; Charles Kolb, president of the Committee for Economic Development; Mike McCurry, former press secretary for President Bill Clinton; Carla Marinucci, San Francisco Chronicle’s political reporter; and California State Assemblyman Jerry Hill.

Saturday NightIncreasing clouds, with a low around 48. WNW wind 11 to 18 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph.

SundayA 30% chance of showers, mainly before 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 56. Breezy, with a west wind 17 to 22 mph decreasing to 11 to 16 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 29 mph. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.

Sunday NightMostly cloudy, with a low around 48. West wind 8 to 10 mph.